It’s been more than four years since Slade Smiley asked Gretchen Rossi to marry him in an over-the-top proposal filmed for The Real Housewives of Orange County. However, the blonde beauty, 40, and her man — who will celebrate nine years together in February — have yet to tie the knot.

Last October, the Gretchen Christine designer told People magazine that she and Slade, 44, are hoping to have a baby together before they become husband and wife. “Really, the thing that ultimately held us back from pulling the trigger is the fact that Slade and I don’t do anything really small; we kind of do things over-the-top and a little snazzy. Right now, our focus is really on trying to have a baby of our own…” Gretchen said at the time. “Until we kind of get some of those things figured out, I think it doesn’t feel right to spend $200,000 on a wedding right this minute. I think that’s why we’re at that place.”

Earlier this month, the “Unbreakable” singer took to Instagram to let fans know that she still has baby fever. She posted a heartwarming pic of Slade cuddling a friend’s baby girl, writing, “Melts my ❤️ every time I see Slade with a baby or a kid….they all just adore him too. He layed her on his chest and she feel right asleep ? #lovethisman”

Though Gretchen and Slade have yet to achieve their dream of starting their own family, the former Bravo starlet — who left RHOC as a full-time ‘wife in 2013 after five seasons — said that she feels like they’ve been wed for years. “The truth is that Slade and I already feel married and we’re in a very committed relationship as if we were married,” she previously explained, “and so it’s not something that we feel like we have to have a marriage certificate to qualify our love for each other.”

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But, once their bundle of joy eventually arrives and they’re finally ready to exchange their “I dos,” Gretchen is hoping to get hitched inside a castle. “Every castle that we found and looked at was in Italy or some really far away place. The more that we looked at that we just thought, ‘Gosh, that would be so difficult to get our family and friends to that type of a location.’ So we started looking for anything here in the States that would resemble a castle-like feel,” she told People. “…I think every girl wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day, and I think that kind of sets the theme for that.”

The Real Housewives of Orange County airs on Bravo Mondays at 9 p.m. EST.